Liquid spraying device

ABSTRACT

A liquid ejecting apparatus includes drive device for moving up a cap ( 9   a ) of capping device ( 9 ) to a nozzle formation face seal position of a record head ( 12 ) and moving down the cap to a retreat position vertically downward from the nozzle formation face seal position. The drive device has a rack-pinion mechanism including racks ( 102   a  and  103   a ) disposed on both side parts of a fixed frame and pinions ( 102   b  and  103   b ) fixedly secured to both end parts of a support shaft ( 9   c ) for guiding the support shaft in an up and down direction.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus having a recoveryfunction of sucking and discharging liquid from a liquid ejecting headfor recovering an ejection function.

BACKGROUND ART

A background art relating to the invention will be discussed by takingan ink jet record apparatus, a kind of liquid ejecting apparatus, as anexample. The ink jet record apparatus produces comparatively low noiseat the printing time and can record extremely small dots at a highdensity and thus nowadays is used for various types of print includingcolor print.

The ink jet record apparatus ejects liquid ink in droplet form fromnozzle openings. Since the nozzle openings are open, an ink solventevaporates gradually through the nozzle openings in a non-use mode ofthe record apparatus. If the ink solvent evaporation amount isexcessively large, a rise in viscosity occurs in ink in the vicinity ofthe nozzle openings and by extension clogging is caused to occur. Airbubbles may be mixed into a record head through the nozzle openings. Inthis case, there is a possibility that the mixed air bubbles may hinderthe ink flow, causing a print failure to occur.

To prevent such trouble, the ink jet record apparatus is provided with arecovery mechanism for forcibly discharging ink in the record headthrough the nozzle openings. The recovery mechanism generally is made upof a cap member having a negative pressure hollow part, a suction pumpcommunicating with the negative pressure hollow part, and a drivemechanism for moving the cap member. In the recovery operation of therecovery mechanism, first the cap member seals a nozzle opening face(namely, the formation face of the nozzle openings) and then thenegative pressure pump is activated. As the negative pressure pump isactivated, a negative pressure is applied in the negative pressurehollow part and ink in the record head is sucked through the nozzleopenings.

As the drive mechanism, various configurations are proposed, one ofwhich is a configuration using racks and a gear (for example, patentdocument 1). In the configuration, as shown in FIG. 14, a moving body204 including a cap holder 202 having a cap member (nozzle cap) 201placed on a tip face and a first rack 203 on a side is attached to thetop of a slider 205 in a state in which it can be advanced andretreated. The cap holder 202 is attached in a state in which it can bemoved in a back and forth direction relative to a main body part 206 ofthe moving body 204, and is urged in the advance direction by a spring207. On the other hand, the slider 205 journals a gear 208 meshed withthe first rack 203 in a rotatable state and is attached in a state inwhich it can be moved relative to a support 209. In particular, theslider 205 is attached in a movable state in a direction perpendicularto the move direction of the moving body 204. A spring 210 to urge theslider 205 is disposed in the support 209. In addition, a second rack211 that can mesh with the gear 208 is also placed on the support 209.

In the configuration, when a carriage (carrier) 213 having a record head212 is moved to the side of the slider 205, a part of the carriage 213abuts the slider 205. If the carriage 213 further moves in the samedirection in the abutment state, the slider 205 moves together with thecarriage 213. As the slider 205 moves, the gear 208 placed on the slider205 meshes with a second rack 211 placed in the support 209 and rotates.As the gear 208 rotates, the moving body 204 advances to the side of therecord head 212 and the cap member 201 seals the nozzle opening face.When the carriage 213 moves in the direction away from the slider 205from the seal state (which will be hereinafter referred to as cappingstate), the slider 205 moves in the same direction as the carriage 213by the urging force of the spring 210. Also in this case, the gear 208meshes with the second rack 211 and thus rotates in the oppositedirection to that mentioned above. As the gear 208 rotates, the movingbody 204 retreats in the direction away from the record head 212 and thecapping state is released.

In the configuration, the move of the carriage 213 is used as the powerto move the moving body 204, so that a dedicated drive source becomesunnecessary and the apparatus configuration can be simplified.

Patent document 1 mentioned above is JP-A-5-69551.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

However, in the configuration in the related art described above, it isnecessary to provide the space for the slider 205 to move in addition tothe space for the moving body 204 to move. Thus, there is a problem ofupsizing the apparatus as much as the space. There is also a problem ofnecessity for moving the slider 205 and the moving body 204 in differentdirections to set or release the capping state and difficulty insecuring high position accuracy. Further, the moving body 204 is movedin the back and forth direction by the first rack 203 and the gear 208placed on one side of the moving body 204 and therefore there is apossibility that the moving body 204 may be tilt. Thus, it becomesnecessary to take a measure of placing the spring 207 between the mainbody 206 of the moving body 204 and the cap holder 202 or the like tobring the cap member 201 into intimate contact with the nozzle formationface.

It is therefore an object of the invention to make it possible to lessena space to move a cap member as much as possible, thereby miniaturizingthe whole apparatus and more enhance capping accuracy of the position ofthe cap member, the intimate contact property of the cap member, etc.

To accomplish the object, according to the invention, there is provideda liquid ejecting apparatus including:

a liquid ejecting apparatus comprising:

a liquid ejecting head, provided movably between an ejection area inwhich ejection control of droplets is possible based on ejection dataand a none-jection area in which ejection control of droplets based onejection data is not performed, and being capable of ejecting dropletsfrom nozzle openings formed in a nozzle formation face;

capping means, disposed in the non-ejection area and including a capmember being capable of sealing the nozzle formation face;

drive means, which moves the cap member in an up and down directionbetween a nozzle formation face seal position of the liquid ejectinghead and a retreat position set below the nozzle formation face sealposition,

a fixed frame, disposed below a move path of the liquid ejecting head inthe non-ejection area, and having a guide long hole extending in the upand down direction; and

a support shaft, which supports the cap member, and inserted into theguide long hole,

wherein the drive means has a rack-pinion mechanism including a rackdisposed on both side parts of the fixed frame and a pinion fixedlysecured to both end parts of the support shaft for guiding the supportshaft in the up and down direction; and

wherein the support shaft is moved in the up and down direction alongthe guide long hole so that the nozzle formation face is capped by thecapping member.

In this configuration, when the drive means is driven for moving up thecap member, the cap member seals the nozzle formation face of the recordhead and the record head is placed in the capping state. On the otherhand, when the cap member is moved down, the cap member is brought awayfrom the nozzle formation face and the capping state is released. Atthis time, the cap member is moved up and down, so that the spaceprovided to move the cap member can be reduced as much as possible andthe whole apparatus can be miniaturized.

Since the cap member supported by the support shaft is moved by therack-pinion mechanism including the rack disposed on both side parts ofthe fixed frame and the pinion fixedly secured to both end parts of thesupport shaft supporting the cap member, the cap member is hard to tiltat the moving time. Therefore, the cap member can seal the nozzleformation face reliably with high accuracy.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing to schematically show the generationconfiguration of an ink jet record apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view to show a drive transmit unit of cappingdrive means.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view to show the drive transmit unit of thecapping drive means and a driven transmit unit.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a retreat state of capping means viewedfrom a print area side.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the retreat state of the capping meansviewed from a non-print area side.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a wiping state of a wiping member viewedfrom the print area side.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the wiping state of the wiping memberviewed from the non-print area side.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a capping state of the capping meansviewed from the print area side.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the capping state of the capping meansviewed from the non-print area side.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view to show the retreat state of the cappingmeans.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view to show the wiping state of the wipingmember.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view to show the capping state of the cappingmeans.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view to show the wiping state of the wipingmember.

FIG. 14 is a schematic representation to show capping means in anapparatus in a related art.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The best mode for carrying out the invention will be discussed. In thedescription to follow, the invention is applied to an ink jet recordapparatus (a kind of liquid ejecting apparatus).

As shown in FIG. 1, a carriage 1 is mounted on a guide rod 4 and isattached so that it can be moved in the axial direction of a paper feedroller 31. A timing belt 3 is connected to the carriage I and thecarriage 1 is reciprocated by a carriage motor 2. That is, the carriageI can be moved along the guide rod 4 between a print area in whichejection control of ink droplets based on print data is possible and anon-print area in which ejection control of ink droplets based on printdata is not performed (also called home position).

The print data is a kind of ejection data of the invention and the inkdroplet is a kind of droplet of the invention. The print area is a kindof ejection area of the invention and the non-print area is a kind ofnon-ejection area of the invention.

The top face portion of the carriage 1 is formed as a cartridge holdportion and a black ink cartridge 7 storing liquid black ink and a colorink cartridge 8 storing liquid color ink are held in a detachable state.

On the other hand, a record head 12 is mounted on the bottom faceportion of the carriage 1 (the side opposed to record paper 6). Therecord head 12 has an ink flow passage from an ink introduction portthrough a common ink chamber and pressure generation chambers to nozzleopenings. The ink flow passage is divided into downstream branches fromthe common ink chamber and the nozzle openings at the downstream end ofthe ink flow passage are made in the nozzle formation face (not shown).Ink from the ink cartridge 7, 8 is introduced through the inkintroduction port and the ink flow passage is filled with the ink.

When pressure generation elements (for example, electromechanicalconversion elements of PZT, etc., or heating elements of heater, etc.,)disposed in the pressure generation chambers are actuated in the inkfilling state, pressure fluctuation occurs in the pressure generationchambers and thus ink droplets can be ejected from the nozzle openings.

Capping means 9 is placed in the non-print area. The capping means 9includes a cap member 9 a (simply, also called cap or nozzle cap) shapedlike a tray with the top opened, as shown in FIG. 3. When the recordhead 12 moves up from the print area side to a position just above thecap member 9 a, the capping means 9 rises from a retreat position to thenozzle formation face seal position. Accordingly, the capping member 9 aseals the nozzle formation face of the record head 12 for placing therecord head 12 in the capping state. When the record head 12 moves fromthe position just above the cap member 9 a to the print area side, thecapping means 9 moves down from the nozzle formation face seal positionto the retreat position for releasing the record head 12 from thecapping state of the cap member 9 a.

The capping means 9 maintains the capping state and prevents trouble ofan ink solvent evaporating through the nozzle openings during quiescentoperation of the record apparatus. That is, the cap member 9 a alsofunctions as a lid for preventing ink in the vicinity of the nozzleopenings from drying.

The capping means 9 also has a function as an ink receptacle at theflushing operation time. That is, in this kind of record apparatus, toprevent ink in the vicinity of the nozzle openings from drying, inkdroplets are ejected independently of print data, thereby performing theflushing operation of discharging ink increased in viscosity. In thecapping means 9, the ink droplets ejected by performing the flushingoperation are received in the inner space of the cap member 9 a.

A pump unit 10 for sucking ink is placed contiguous with the cappingmeans 9. The pump unit 10 uses a paper feed motor 33 for transportingrecord paper 6 (see FIG. 2) as a drive source and functions as a kind ofsuction pump of the invention together with the paper feed motor 33. Thepump unit 10 is implemented as a tube pump unit for pushing andsqueezing a flexible tube by a roller, thereby downstream sending airand ink in the tube, for example. The pump unit 10 is attached to amidway point of a liquid waste tube (not shown). The liquid waste tubehas one end made to communicate with the inner space (negative pressurehollow part) of the cap member 9 a and an opposite end made tocommunicate with a liquid waste tank (not shown). Thus, the pump unit 10functions as negative pressure applying means for applying a negativepressure in the inner space of the cap member 9 a.

If the pump unit 10 is actuated at the flushing operation time mentionedabove, ink discharged to the cap member 9 a can be sent to the liquidwaste tank. If the pump unit 10 is actuated with the cap member 9 asealing the nozzle formation face, a negative pressure is applied in theinner space of the cap member 9 a, so that ink in the record head 12 canbe sucked through the nozzle openings. Accordingly, the ink in therecord head 12 can be discharged to the outside of the recording head.Therefore, it can be said that the capping means 9 and the pump unit 10also have a function as cleaning means.

When the capping means 9 moves in the up and down direction, the drivingforce of the paper feed motor 33 is used. Therefore, the capping means 9and the pump unit 10 share the drive source.

As shown in FIG. 3, a wiping member 11 is provided on the upper end faceof the capping means 9 (cap holder 9 b) on the print area side. Thewiping member 11 is a member for wiping the nozzle formation face of therecord head 12. As a cam member 91 (see FIG. 5) advances, the wipingmember 11 moves up together with the capping means 9 and as the cammember 91 retreats, the wiping member 11 moves down together with thecapping means 9.

Next, the capping means 9 and drive means of the capping means 9 (whichwill be hereinafter referred to as capping drive means) will bediscussed in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 13. FIG. 2 is asectional view to show a drive transmit unit 30 of the capping drivemeans. FIGS. 3 to 9 are perspective views to show the drive transmitunit 30 of the capping drive means and a driven transmit unit (driventransmit unit) thereof. FIGS. 10 to 13 are perspective views to show anintermediate transmit unit 71 of the capping drive means.

The capping means 9 includes at least the cap member 9 a, the cap holder9 b, and a hold frame 9 e. The capping drive means is means for movingthe capping means 9 in the up and down vertical direction; in theembodiment, the capping drive means includes the paper feed motor 33 asa drive source, the drive transmit unit 30, the intermediate transmitunit 71, and the driven transmit unit (guide unit).

To begin with, the capping means 9 will be discussed based on FIGS. 3 to9. As shown in the figures, the capping means 9 has the cap member 9 acapable of sealing the nozzle formation face of the record head 12 andthe cap holder 9 b for holding the cap member 9 a. The capping means 9can be moved to a move-up position (FIG. 8, FIG. 9) and a move-downposition (FIG. 4, FIG. 5) by the driving force from the drive transmitunit 30. The move-up position corresponds to the nozzle formation faceseal position of the cap member 9 a and the move-down positioncorresponds to the retreat position of the cap member 9 a.

The cap member 9 a is a box shaped roughly like a rectangle viewed froma flat face and in particular is a member shaped like a tray with thetop opened; the whole is made of an elastic material of an elastomer,etc., for example. The cap member 9 a is formed integrally with the capholder 9 b by two-color molding (double mold), for example.Alternatively, the cap member 9 a and the cap holder 9 b may be producedseparately and then be joined. The cap member 9 a and the cap holder 9 bare formed in one piece as in the embodiment, whereby trouble of the capmember 9 a being detached from the cap holder 9 b can be prevented andthe reliability of the apparatus can be maintained over a long term.

An ink absorption sheet (not shown) is housed in the inner space of thecap member 9 a and can absorb and temporarily hold ink from the recordhead 12. The inner space of the cap member 9 a communicates with theliquid waste tank through the liquid waste tube having flexibility (notshown) and the pump unit 10 is disposed at a midpoint in the liquidwaste tube, as mentioned above.

On the other hand, the cap holder 9 b is a box shaped roughly like arectangle viewed from a flat face and is formed of a harder material(resin) than the elastomer of the material of the cap member 9 a. In theend part of the cap holder 9 b on the print area side, a pair of cappingguides 9 d positioned on both sides of a long edge portion andprojecting in a state in which it is a little spread upward is placed inone piece.

The capping means 9 has the hold frame 9 e (a kind of hold member)almost angular U-shaped in cross section for holding the cap holder 9 b.Hold holes (not shown) opened in the move direction of the record head12 (in the embodiment, horizontal direction) are made in both end partsof the hold frame 9 e. A support shaft 9 c is supported in the holdholes for rotation. That is, the hold frame 9 e is held by the supportshaft 9 c. Therefore, it can be said that the cap member 9 a is heldindirectly by the support shaft 9 c through the cap holder 9 b and thehold frame 9 e.

The support shaft 9 c is formed of a round bar extending in the movedirection of the record head 12. The hold member is not limited to thehold frame 9 e and may be any if it can hold the cap member 9 a and cansupport the support shaft 9 c for rotation.

A fixed frame 21 is disposed in a proximity state so as to surround thehold frame 9 e in the outside from the hold frame 9 e. The fixed frame21 is implemented as a plate member shaped roughly like angular U viewedfrom a flat face. Long holes 21 a extending in the up and down verticaldirection are made in both side parts of the fixed frame 21, and bothend parts of the support shaft 9 c are inserted in the long holes 21 a.Racks 102 a and 103 a extending in the up and down direction along thelong holes 21 a (see FIGS. 4 and 5) are disposed in both side parts ofthe fixed frame 21.

Next, the capping drive means will be discussed. The capping drive meansin the embodiment is made up of the drive source, the drive transmitunit 30, the intermediate transmit unit 71, and the driven transmit unitas mentioned above and therefore the “drive transmit unit,” the“intermediate transmit unit,” and the “driven transmit unit” will bediscussed separately.

To begin with, the “drive transmit unit” will be discussed. As shown inFIG. 2, the drive transmit unit 30 functions as driving force transmitmeans common to a paper ejection mechanism, the pump unit 10, and thecapping means 9. To move the capping means 9, the drive transmit unit 30transmits a driving force (rotation force) from the paper feed motor 33,a kind of drive source of the invention, to the intermediate transmitunit 71.

The drive transmit unit 30 has the paper feed roller 31. A gear 32 isprovided at one end of the paper feed roller 31 and is driven through anintermediate gear 35 from a pinion 34 provided on the shaft of the paperfeed motor 33. A gear 37 is provided at one end of a paper feed rollerdrive shaft 36 and meshes with the gear 32 via a move gear 38implementing a clutch mechanism and transmits power to a cut sheetfeeder (not shown). Record paper 6 is fed (loaded) by the transmittedpower.

On the other hand, power from the paper feed motor 33 is transmitted tothe pinion 34, an intermediate gear 39, and a paper ejection roller gear40 on a paper ejection roller 41. Further, power from the paper ejectionroller gear 40 is transmitted via a gear 42 on the paper ejection roller41, an intermediate gear 44, and a driven gear 45 to a drive shaft 43.When the power is transmitted to the drive shaft 43, the pump unit 10 isdriven. That is, the power from the paper feed motor 33 is transmittedvia the paper ejection roller 41 and the drive shaft 43 to theintermediate transmit unit 71.

The pump unit 10 has a pump frame 53 mounted to a fix base (attachmentbase) 46, as shown in FIG. 3. The drive shaft 43 is rotatably supportedby the fix base 46 and the pump frame 53. The fix base 46 is formed witha guide hole 46 a extending in the advance and retreat direction (movedirection) of a cam member 91.

Next, the “intermediate transmit unit 71” will be discussed. Theintermediate transmit unit 71 has a planet gear mechanism 81 and the cammember 91, as shown in FIGS. 10 to 13. The intermediate transmit unit 71is disposed between the fix base 46 and the pump frame 53 fortransmitting the driving force from the drive transmit unit 30 to thedriven transmit unit.

The planet gear mechanism 81 includes the drive shaft (pump shaft) 43having a sun gear 72 and a drive lever 73 and a hold lever 74 attachedto the drive shaft 43 in a rotatable state.

The drive lever 73 has an annular base part 73 a in which the driveshaft 43 is inserted and a lever part 73 b shaped like a flap pieceextending to the outside from the base part 73 a. The drive lever 73 isdisposed at a position opposite to the pump unit 10 in the hold lever 74and is supported rotatably within a predetermined rotation strokerelative to the drive shaft 43. A cylindrical drive pin 75 projecting tothe pump side (horizontal direction) is integral with the lever part 73b of the drive lever 73. An extension part 76 shaped like a fan on aflat face projected to the opposite side to the lever part 73 b andhaving a rising wall 76 a in an outer peripheral margin is integral withthe base part 73 a of the drive lever 73. The rising wall 76 a of theextension part 76 is formed with an internal gear 77 along thecircumferential direction.

The hold lever 74 has an annular base part (not shown) in which thedrive shaft 43 is inserted and lever parts 74 b and 74 c each shapedlike a rectangular piece projected in the radial direction of the basepart. The hold lever 74 is supported rotatably between two positions inthe rotation direction relative to the drive shaft 43. The lever part 74b is formed with stopper engagement parts 74C and 74D. The stopperengagement parts 74C and 74D are parts that can be engaged with bothstoppers 53 c and 53 d placed parallel with each other with apredetermined spacing in the circumferential direction of the pumpframe. A planet gear 78 is held on the lever part 74 c for rotation in astate in which it meshes with the sun gear 72. The planet gear 78 canmesh with the internal gear 77 of the drive lever 73.

At least the lever part 74 c of both the lever parts 74 b and 74 c isformed as an elastic rod part so that it can become elastically deformedupon reception of an external force produced as the drive lever 73rotates in a state in which the stopper engagement part 74C, 74D isengaged with the stopper 53 c, 53 d. Accordingly, when rotation of thehold lever 74 stops and the drive lever 73 rotates, shock accompanyingthe mesh of the planet gear 78 and the internal gear 77 is absorbed.

On the other hand, the cam member 91 is joined to the planet gearmechanism 81 (drive pin 75) and is disposed on the fix base 46 (FIG. 3)in a state in which it can advance and retreat, as shown in FIGS. 10 to13. The cam member 91 is formed with a convex part 91 a that can slidein the guide hole 46 a. Accordingly, the cam member 91 can be moved inthe horizontal direction at right angles to the move direction of therecord head 12. The cam member 91 is formed with a first long hole 92and a second long hole 93 in a state in which the holes pierce the platethickness direction, as shown in FIGS. 5, 7, 9, and 10 to 13.

The first long hole 92 has horizontal parts 92 a to 92 c and tilt parts92 d and 92 e for guiding the support shaft 9 c. The horizontal part 92a is placed in a low part of the first long hole 92 and the horizontalpart 92 b is placed in a high part of the first long hole 92. Thehorizontal part 92 c is placed in an intermediate part of the first longhole 92 (namely, between the horizontal parts 92 a and 92 b in theheight direction). The horizontal parts 92 a to 92 c are formed of ahole parallel with the advance direction of the cam member 91, namely, ahole extending in the horizontal direction from the advance position ofthe cam member 91 to the retreat position. The horizontal part 92 aholds the support shaft 9 c in the retreat state of the cam member 91(capping release state) and the horizontal part 92 b holds the supportshaft 9 c in the advance state of the cam member 91 (capping state). Thehorizontal part 92 c holds the support shaft 9 c in the wiping state.

The tilt part 92 d is placed between the horizontal parts 92 a and 92 c,and the tilt part 92 e is placed between the horizontal parts 92 c and92 b. The tilt parts 92 d and 92 e are formed of a hole having an upwardslope from the advance position of the cam member 91 to the retreatposition. The tilt part 92 d gives the support shaft 9 c a moving up anddown force from the retreat position to a wiping position at the wipingtime or the capping time. The tilt part 92 e gives the support shaft 9 ca moving up and down force from the wiping position to the cappingposition at the capping time.

The second long hole 93 is placed to the pump unit 10 side from thefirst long hole 92. The second long hole 93 is a hole extending in theup and down direction for guiding the drive pin 75 in the up and downdirection.

Next, the “driven transmit unit” will be discussed. The driven transmitunit joined to the intermediate transmit unit 71 has a pair ofrack-pinion mechanisms 102 and 103 and the support shaft 9 c, as shownin FIGS. 4 to 9. One rack-pinion mechanism 102 is disposed on one sideof the fixed frame 21 (non-print area side portion) and the otherrack-pinion mechanism 103 is disposed on another side of the fixed frame21 (print area side portion). Both the rack-pinion mechanisms 102 and103 are placed at symmetrical positions in the fixed frame 21.

The support shaft 9 c is disposed between the rack-pinion mechanisms 102and 103. A non-print side end part of the support shaft 9 c is insertedinto a pinion 102 b forming a part of the rack-pinion mechanism 102 andis fixedly secured. The insertion end part is held rollably in the firstlong hole 92 of the cam member 91. Accordingly, as the cam member 91advances and retreats, the support shaft 9 c rolls in the first longhole 92. Therefore, the rolling force (rotation force) is transmittedfrom one rack-pinion mechanism 102 to the other rack-pinion mechanism103.

The rack-pinion mechanism 102 has a rack 102 a and the pinion 102 b. Therack 102 a extends in the up and down vertical direction and projects tothe end part of the non-print area side in the fixed frame 21. Thepinion 102 b is fixedly secured to the non-print area end part of thesupport shaft 9 c and meshes with the rack 102 a. On the other hand, therack-pinion mechanism 103 has a rack 103 a and a pinion 103 b. In therack-pinion mechanism 103, the rotation force from the rack-pinionmechanism 102 (namely, the support shaft 9 c) is received at the printarea side end part of the hold frame 9 e and the pinion 103 b is rolledalong the rack 103 a by the rotation force. The rack 103 a and thepinion 103 b of the rack-pinion mechanism 103 have the sameconfiguration as the rack 102 a and the pinion 102 b of the rack-pinionmechanism 102 and therefore will not be discussed again in detail.

The support shaft 9 c is supported on the hold frame 9 e (hold hole) forrotation as described above and is inserted and held in the long holes21 a of the fixed frame 21 in a state in which it can rotate and move upand down. Thus, when the support shaft 9 c receives a move-up ormove-down force from the cam member 91 and moves up or down in the longhole 21 a of the fixed frame 21, the support shaft 9C is guided by therack-pinion mechanism 102, 103. The cap holder 9 b (cap member 9 a) ismoved up or down while the state in which the seal face of the capmember 9 a and the nozzle formation face of the record head 12 areparallel is maintained.

In the described configuration, when the sun gear 72 (drive shaft 43)receives the driving force from the drive transmit unit 30 (paper feedmotor 33) from the reset (retreat) state shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 10 andstarts to rotate in the forward direction (counterclockwise), therotation force is transmitted via the planet gear 78 to the hold lever74. The hold lever 74 rotates counterclockwise (arrow e direction inFIG. 10). When the hold lever 74 rotates in the arrow e direction, thestopper engagement part 74D is brought away from the stopper 53 d.

Since the mesh of the planet gear 78 and the internal gear 77 isreleased in the rotation start state of the sun gear 72, the drive lever73 does not receive the driving force from the sun gear 72 and remainsstopped at the rotation start position as shown in FIG. 10. The drivepin 75 and the support shaft 9 c are positioned at the start end part(lower end part) of the second long hole 93 and the horizontal part 92 aof the first long hole 92 respectively.

If the sun gear 72 still more rotates counterclockwise, the hold lever74 further rotates counterclockwise (arrow e direction). In this case,the planet gear 78 meshes with the internal gear 77 and movescounterclockwise on the internal gear 77 while rotating clockwise. Thus,the drive lever 73 does not rotate clockwise (direction in which the cammember 91 is advanced) until the stopper engagement part 74C engageswith the stopper 53 c. If the hold lever 74 further rotates, the stopperengagement part 74C engages with the stopper 53 c and thus the holdlever 74 stops at a rotation stop position on one side. If the sun gear72 further rotates counterclockwise in this state, namely, with thestopper engagement part 74C engaging with the stopper 53 c, the planetgear 78 rotates clockwise and the drive lever 73 starts to rotateclockwise.

In this case, the rotation force from the sun gear 72 is transmitted viathe planet gear 78 to the hold lever 74, but the stopper engagement part74C of the lever part 74 b engages with the stopper 53 c and thus thehold lever 74 does not rotate counterclockwise (arrow e direction).Thus, when the rotation force from the sun gear 72 is transmitted viathe planet gear 78 to the hold lever 74, the lever part 74 c bends in adirection in which it approaches the lever part 74 b.

If the sun gear 72 further rotates counterclockwise, the planet gear 78further rotates clockwise and the drive lever 73 also rotates clockwise.In this case, when the drive lever 73 rotates clockwise, the lever part73 b also rotates in the same direction and thus the cam member 91receives the rotation force as an advance force and moves in the arrow gdirection from the retreat position shown in FIG. 10 to the advanceposition. As the cam member 91 moves, the support shaft 9 c receives arotation force and a move-up force from the cam member 91, namely, thetilt part 92 d of the first long hole 92. Thus, the support shaft 9 cmoves up while rotating counterclockwise on the tilt part 92 d, and thepinions 102 b and 103 b roll upward along the racks 102 a and 103 a. Asthe pinions 102 b and 103 b roll, the wiping member 11 advances from theoutside of a move path of the record head 12 to the wiping position inthe move path together with the hold frame 9 e (moves upward in thevertical direction).

If the support shaft 9 c runs onto the horizontal part 92 c from thetilt part 92 d, the wiping member 11 arrives at the wiping position, asshown in FIGS. 6, 7, and 11. If the record head 12 is moved to thenon-print area side at the wiping position, the nozzle formation face iswiped. When the wiping member 11 moves up from the retreat positionshown in FIG. 10 to the wiping position, the drive pin 75 moves from thestart end part (lower end part) of the second hole 93 and is positionedat the termination part (upper end part).

After this, if the sun gear 72 further rotates counterclockwise, theplanet gear 78 further rotates clockwise and the drive lever 73 alsorotates clockwise (arrow f direction) accordingly. In this case, whenthe drive lever 73 rotates clockwise, the lever part 73 b also rotatesin the same direction and thus the cam member 91 moves in the arrow 9direction from the position shown in FIG. 11 to the advance position. Asthe cam member 91 moves, the support shaft 9 c receives a move-up forcefrom the cam member 91, namely, the tilt part 92 e of the first longhole 92.

Thus, the support shaft 9 c moves up while rotating clockwise on thetilt part 92 e, and the pinions 102 b and 103 b roll upward in thevertical direction while they are guided along the racks 102 a and 103a. As the pinions 102 b and 103 b roll, the capping means 9 advances,namely, moves up from the wiping position to the capping position(nozzle formation face seal position). If the support shaft 9 c runsonto the horizontal part 92 b from the tilt part 92 e, the cap member 9a arrives at the capping position and the capping means 9 (cap member 9a) seals the nozzle formation face of the record head 12 at the cappingposition, as shown in FIGS. 8, 9, and 12.

When the capping means 9 arrives at the capping position, the lever part74 c of the hold lever 74 is elastically restored and the mesh of theplanet gear 78 and the internal gear 77 is released, as shown in FIG.12. Thus, the drive lever 73 does not receive the driving force from thesun gear 72 and is placed at a rotation end position. The drive pin 75moves from the termination part (upper end part) of the second long hole93 and is positioned at the start end part (lower end part).

On the other hand, if the sun gear 72 (drive shaft 43) receives thedriving force from the drive transmit unit 30 (paper feed motor 33) fromthe reset state shown in FIGS. 8, 9, and 12 and starts to rotate in theopposite direction (clockwise), the rotation force is transmitted viathe planet gear 78 to the hold lever 74 and the hold lever 74 rotatesclockwise (arrow f direction in FIG. 12). In this case, when the holdlever 74 rotates in the arrow f direction, the stopper engagement part74C is brought away from the stopper 53 c.

Since the mesh of the planet gear 78 and the internal gear 77 isreleased in the rotation start state of the sun gear 72, the drive lever73 does not receive the driving force from the sun gear 72 and remainsstopped at the rotation end position as shown in FIG. 12. The drive pin75 and the support shaft 9 c are positioned at the start end part (lowerend part) of the second long hole 93 and the horizontal part 92 b of thefirst long hole 92 respectively.

If the sun gear 72 still more rotates clockwise, the hold lever 74further rotates clockwise (arrow f direction). As the hold lever 74rotates, the planet gear 78 meshes with the internal gear 77 and movesclockwise on the internal gear 77 while rotating counterclockwise. Thus,the drive lever 73 does not rotate counterclockwise (direction in whichthe cam member 91 is retreated) until the stopper engagement part 74Dengages with the stopper 53 d.

If the hold lever 74 further rotates, the stopper engagement part 74Dengages with the stopper 53 d and thus the hold lever 74 stops at arotation stop position on an opposite side. If the sun gear 72 furtherrotates clockwise in this state, namely, with the stopper engagementpart 74D engaging with the stopper 53 d, the planet gear 78 rotatescounterclockwise and the drive lever 73 starts to rotatecounterclockwise. In this case, the rotation force from the sun gear 72is transmitted via the planet gear 78 to the hold lever 74, but thestopper engagement part 74D of the lever part 74 b engages with thestopper 53 d and thus the hold lever 74 does not rotate clockwise (arrowf direction). Thus, when the rotation force from the sun gear 72 istransmitted via the planet gear 78 to the hold lever 74, the lever part74 c bends in a direction in which it is brought away from the leverpart 74 b.

If the sun gear 72 further rotates clockwise, the planet gear 78 furtherrotates counterclockwise and the drive lever 73 also rotatescounterclockwise. In this case, the lever part 73 b also rotates in thesame direction and thus the cam member 91 receives the rotation force asa retreat force and moves in the arrow h direction from the cappingposition (set position) shown in FIG. 12 to the retreat position. As thecam member 91 moves, the support shaft 9 c receives a move-down force bygravitation.

Thus, the support shaft 9 c moves down while rotating clockwise on thetilt part 92 e, and the pinions 102 b and 103 b roll downward in thevertical direction along the racks 102 a and 103 a. As the pinions 102 band 103 b roll, the wiping member 11 retreats, namely, moves down to thewiping position from the inside of the move path of the record head 12to the outside of the move path together with the capping means 9,releasing the seal state of the nozzle formation face of the record head12 at the capping position. If the wiping member 11 further moves downtogether with the capping means 9 and the support shaft 9 c moves to thehorizontal part 92 c from the tilt part 92 e, the wiping member 11arrives at the wiping position, as shown in FIGS. 6, 7, and 13. If therecord head 12 is moved to the print area side in this state, the nozzleformation face is wiped by the wiping member 11.

When the wiping member 11 moves down from the advance position shown inFIG. 12 to the wiping position, the drive pin 75 moves from the startend part (lower end part) of the second hole 93 and is positioned at thetermination part (upper end part).

After this, if the sun gear 72 further rotates clockwise, the planetgear 78 further rotates counterclockwise and the drive lever 73 alsorotates counterclockwise (arrow e direction). In this case, when thedrive lever 73 rotates counterclockwise, the lever part 73 b rotates inthe same direction and thus the cam member 91 moves in the arrow hdirection from the position shown in FIG. 13 to the retreat position. Asthe cam member 91 moves, the support shaft 9 c receives a move-downforce by gravitation.

Thus, the support shaft 9 c moves down while rotating counterclockwiseon the tilt part 92 d, and the pinions 102 b and 103 b roll downward inthe vertical direction while they are guided along the racks 102 a and103 a, as shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 10. As the pinions 102 b and 103 broll, the capping means 9 retreats (moves down) from the position shownin FIG. 13 to the retreat position (reset position). If the supportshaft 9 c moves to the horizontal part 92 a from the tilt part 92 d, thecapping means 9 arrives at the retreat position.

When the capping means 9 moves down to the reset position, the leverpart 74 c of the hold lever 74 is elastically restored and the mesh ofthe planet gear 78 and the internal gear 77 is released, as shown inFIG. 10. Thus, the drive lever 73 does not receive the driving forcefrom the sun gear 72 and is placed at the rotation end position.

The drive pin 75 moves from the termination part (upper end part) of thesecond long hole 93 to the start end part (lower end part). Therefore,in the embodiment, as the cam member 91 advances, the capping means 9moves up (moves upward in the vertical direction), whereby the nozzleformation face of the record head 12 is sealed. On the other hand, asthe cam member 91 retreats, the capping means 9 moves down (movesdownward in the vertical direction), whereby the seal state of thenozzle formation face of the record head 12 is released.

Accordingly, the capping means 9 is set and reset as the capping means 9is moved up and down in the vertical direction. Thus, the move area ofthe capping means 9 can be reduced as much as possible and the wholeapparatus can be miniaturized.

In the embodiment, the rack-pinion mechanisms 102 and 103 for guidingthe support shaft 9 c in the vertical direction are disposed on bothsides of the capping means 9, so that the capping means 9 can be movedup and down so that the seal face of the cap member 9 a and the nozzleformation face of the record head 12 become parallel with each other.

Further, in the embodiment, the wiping member 11 is placed in the capholder 9 b, so that the cap 9 a and the cap holder 9 b and the wipingmember 11 can be molded of an elastomer, etc., in one piece. Thus, thecost can be reduced.

Further, in the embodiment, the fact that the cap 9 a and the wipingmember 11 can be molded in one piece means that the members 9 a and 11can be brought close to each other. Thus, the contamination arearesulting from ink scattering can be reduced.

In addition, in the embodiment, the drive shaft 43 is implemented as thepump drive shaft of the pump unit 10. Accordingly, the rotation force ofthe pump drive shaft can be used as the driving force for moving thecapping means 9 in the up and down direction. Consequently, the numberof parts can be decreased.

In the embodiment, the second long hole 92 for guiding the support shaft9 c is formed with the horizontal parts 92 b and 92 c, so that thesupport shaft 9 c is held on the horizontal parts 92 b and 92 c, makingit possible to perform the wiping operation and the capping operation.Thus, the height of the cap member 9 a is determined and the wipingoperation and the capping operation can be performed reliably.

In the description of the embodiment, as the transmit mechanism forgiving the advance and retreat forces to the cam member 91, the planetgear mechanism 81 is taken as an example, but the invention is notlimited to it. That is, any other mechanism for giving the advance andretreat forces may be used. In this case, transmit of the driving forcefrom the drive transmit unit 30 to the driven transmit unit is executedvia the mechanism for giving the advance and retreat forces and the cammember 91 (not shown).

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The invention can be applied to an image record apparatus that can ejectink droplets for recording text and an image on a print record medium,as mentioned above. In addition, the invention can also be applied to afilter manufacturing apparatus for ejecting color material onto a filterbase material for manufacturing a color filter and a displaymanufacturing apparatus for ejecting liquid crystal, liquid electrodematerial, etc., onto a display base body surface for manufacturingvarious displays such as a liquid crystal display, an EL display, and anFED (face light emitting display). Further, the invention can also beapplied to a biochip manufacturing apparatus used for manufacturingbiochips and a micropipet for supplying an extremely small amount ofliquid with good accuracy.

Description of Reference Numerals

-   1 Carriage-   2 Carriage motor-   3 Timing belt-   4 Guide rod-   6 Record paper-   7 Black ink cartridge-   8 Color ink cartridge-   9 Capping means    -   9 a Cap member    -   9 b Cap holder    -   9 d Capping guide    -   9 e Hold frame    -   9 c Support shaft-   10 Pump unit-   11 Wiping member-   12 Record head-   21 Fixed frame    -   21 a Long hole-   30 Drive transmit unit-   31 Paper feed roller-   32 Gear-   33 Paper feed motor-   34 Pinion-   35 Intermediate gear-   36 Paper feed roller drive shaft-   37 Gear-   38 Move gear-   39 Intermediate gear-   40 Paper ejection roller gear-   41 Paper ejection roller-   42 Gear-   43 Drive shaft-   44 Intermediate gear-   45 Driven gear-   46 Fix base    -   46 a Guide hole-   53 Pump frame    -   53 c Stopper    -   53 d Stopper-   71 Intermediate transmit unit-   72 Sun gear-   73 Drive lever    -   73 a Base part    -   73 b Lever part-   74 hold lever    -   74 b Lever part    -   74 c Lever part-   74 c Stopper engagement part-   74 d Stopper engagement part-   75 Drive pin-   76 Extension part    -   76 a Rising wall-   77 Internal gear-   78 Planet gear-   81 Planet gear mechanism-   91 Cam member    -   91 A convex part-   92 First long hole    -   92 a Horizontal part    -   92 b Horizontal part    -   92 c Horizontal part    -   92 d Tilt part    -   92 e Tilt part-   93 Second long hole-   102 Rack-pinion mechanism-   102 a Rack    -   102 b Pinion-   103 Rack-pinion mechanism    -   103 a Rack    -   103 b Pinion-   201 Cap member-   202 Cap holder-   203 First rack-   204 Moving body-   205 Slider-   206 Main body part of moving body-   207 Spring-   208 Gear-   208 Support-   210 Spring-   211 Second rack-   212 Record head-   213 Carriage

1. A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising: a liquid ejecting head,provided movably between an ejection area in which ejection control ofdroplets is possible based on ejection date and a non ejection area inwhich ejection control of droplets based on ejection data is notperformed, and being capable of ejecting droplets from nozzle openingsformed in a nozzle formation face; capping means, disposed in thenon-ejection area and including a cap member being capable of sealingthe nozzle formation face; drive means, which moves the cap member in anup and down direction between a nozzle formation face seal position ofthe liquid ejecting head and a retreat position set below the nozzleformation face seal position, a fixed frame, disposed below a move pathof the liquid ejecting head in the non-ejection area, and having a guidelong hole extending in the up and down direction; and a support shaft,which supports the cap member and inserted into the guide long hole,wherein the drive means has a rack-pinion mechanism including a rackdisposed on both side parts of the fixed frame and a pinion fixedlysecured to both end parts of the support shaft for guiding the supportshaft in the up and down direction; and wherein the support shaft ismoved in the up and down direction along the guide long hole so that thenozzle formation face is capped by the capping member.
 2. The liquidejecting apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the capping meansincludes a cap holder for holding the cap member and a hold frame forholding the cap holder.
 3. The liquid ejecting apparatus as set forth inclaim 2, wherein the cap member and the cap holder are formed in onepiece.
 4. The liquid ejecting apparatus as set forth in claim 2 whereinthe cap holder is formed with a wiping member for wiping the nozzleformation face.
 5. The liquid ejecting apparatus as set forth in claim1, wherein the drive means includes a cam member for sliding the supportshaft.
 6. The liquid ejecting apparatus as set forth in claim 5,comprising a suction pump which includes a drive source and a pump unitfor applying a negative pressure in the cap member. wherein the cammember is moved in a direction orthogonal to the move path of the liquidejecting head by an operation of the suction pump.
 7. The liquidejecting apparatus as set forth in claim 6, wherein a driving forcetransmit unit is disposed between the cam member and the drive source;and wherein a driving force from the drive source is transmitted throughthe driving force transmit unit to the cam member.